Marital Quality

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of object relations in predicting emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality.Methods: The research method was quantitative, applied and descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the study was all 257 couples which formally married in the first three months of 2022 in Ardabil. The non-random available sampling method was used due to the limitations of the corona pandemic. The sample size was 110 couples, including 110 males and 110 females. Bell Object Relationships Inventory (1995), King & Ammons Emotional Expression Questionnaire (1990), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and Basby Marital Quality Questionnaire (1995) were used for data collection. In the descriptive part, we used the central and dispersion indices. Also, in the inferential part, multiple regression was used.  The data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The results of this study showed there is a significant negative relationship between social incompetence with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01), and a significant negative relationship between egocentricity with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01). Also, there is a significant negative relationship between insecure attachment with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01) and finally there is a significant negative relationship between alienation with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01).Conclusion: Considering the results, couple therapy based on object relations can be used to improve emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality of couples.

Aim: This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship between childhood emotional maltreatment and the quality of a marital quality with the mediating role of defensiveness and mindfulness relationship. Method: The current research was descriptive and correlational using the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all the married people of Tehran city in the fall of 2023, and 420 of them were selected from four psychology centers through an online call by the convenience sampling method. The tools of this research include relational-connectivity (R-C S, Galovan, 2021), relationship sabotage scale (RSS, Peel and Caltabiano, 2021), mindfulness relationship measure (RMM, Kimmes et al., 2017) and childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ, Bernstein et al., 2003). The data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling method with AMOS-24. Findings: The results indicated the appropriate fit of the model. The findings indicated that defensiveness and relationship mindfulness could predict the quality of marital relationship indirectly through neglect (p > 0.001). However, defensiveness and mindfulness in relation to emotional abuse did not predict the quality of marital relationships (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Relationship mindfulness and defensiveness play important roles in how childhood neglect impacts relationship quality. These findings underscore the necessity for interventions in marital relationships where childhood emotional neglect has occurred, as these couples may exhibit lower levels of relationship mindfulness and a greater tendency towards defensive behaviors. Therefore, therapy and support programs that target these areas may be particularly beneficial for enhancing relationship quality.

Aim: Marriage is a social institution that forms the foundation of relationships and creates family units. The present study was conducted to examine the effect of transactional analysis on marital quality and positive thinking of married women in District 6 of Tehran in 2020. Methods: This quasi-experimental research was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and included a control group. Among the married women in the 6th district of Tehran who had enrolled in the Institute of Transactional Analysis Training, 34 individuals were selected using Purposive sampling, with 17 randomly assigned to the experimental group and 17 to the control group. The marital quality and positive thinking questionnaires were administered to subjects in the experimental group during the pretest phase, followed by implementing the independent variable (transactional analysis) in the experimental group through 9 three-hour sessions. The control group did not receive any training. After the final session, both groups completed the marital quality and positive thinking questionnaires in the post-test phase. The SPSS 19 software was utilized to conduct the covariance analysis test to analyze the data. Results: The value of F indicates the effect of transactional analysis training on marital quality (F=533.862; P=0.017), and positive thinking (F=14.67; P=0.001) demonstrates the impact of transactional analysis training on positive thinking and marital quality is confirmed after controlling for pretest effects and nuisance variables. Conclusion:This study reveals that transactional analysis impacts marital quality and positive thinking of married women. One of the most crucial functions of training is the ability to express one's needs to the spouse, leading to improvement in marital quality, specifically by reducing stress and anger. Additionally, by helping individuals identify and manage their emotions, transactional analysis training can help control negative emotions and improve their overall outlook, increasing positive thinking. This positive thinking, achieved through transactional analysis training, can improve individuals' mental and emotional well-being and reconstruct their damaged spirits.